APPROVED THEMES FOR FALL 2015
Intersections: Race, Class, and Gender
Theme Coordinator: Cameron D. Lippard ()
Courses in Theme:
ANT 2420: Gender, Race, and Class
ENG 2130: Ethnic American Literature
MUS 2023: Music and Gender
PHL 3050: Philosophy of Race
PS 3410: Marxism
SOC 2XXX: Social Inequalities
SW 2615: Culture Competence in the Helping Professions
WS 2421: Sex, Gender, Power
Theme Description: Intersections provides a multi-disciplinary examination of the nuances and complexities of social identities across varying social contexts. Particularly, courses will focus on the unique social intersections of race, class, and gender to explore their constructions and variations across local and global cultures. Courses will also question and analyze the multiple systems of privilege, oppression, and discrimination that accompany these various social identities and how they impact human behavior and life chances for individuals.
Theme Shared Learning Outcome(s):
1. Think Critically and Creatively:
a. Students will develop essential knowledge to define and discern various social identities across social contexts;
b. Students will distinguish the ways in which the intersections of race, class, and gender shape individual and groups;
c. Students will cultivate an awareness of pre-existing biases and consider other perspectives concerning social identities;
d. Students will be able to synthesize various perspectives and data to evaluate effectively the disparities groups face due to their social identities.
2. Making Local to Global Connections:
a. Students will develop knowledge of human diversity across social contexts;
b. Students will develop knowledge about contemporary local and global issues as they relate to various social identities;
c. Students will be able to identify the ways in which various social identities operate within local and global systems.
Form(s) of Integration for Theme:
1. The courses in this theme will use a conceptual toolbox. As faculty and disciplines may approach these concepts through different questions and points of view, students will be encourage to think critically and come to a complex understanding of issues involved in understanding and using these concepts. The concepts, and some sample topics and perspectives through which we might approach these questions are as follows:
a. Culture—history of term, uses of the term in various fields.
b. Categories of Identity and Difference—race, ethnicity, gender, caste, class religion; how these categories are used and constructed and how they vary historically and conceptually.
c. Ethics and Politics of Diversity—ethnocentrism, relativism, diversity, multiculturalism; prejudice, discrimination, ethnic cleansing, heteronormativity, racism, sexism, and all the other “isms.”
d. Power—privilege, oppression, resistance, hegemony, social movements, forms of social and political organization, culture as hegemony, discourses of equality and hierarchy.
e. Social Context—the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was socialized or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom they interact.
2. Instructors will also require students to attend at one on- or off-campus event sponsored by the Multicultural Student Development, Women’s Studies, The Women’s Center, Global Studies, the LGBT Center, the Queer Film Series, Humanities Council, the International Film Series, or others as identified by the individual instructors. The selected event will highlight topics discussed in each of the courses and focus on how they inform the disciplinary explanations of race, class, and gender.
Revolutions and Social Change
Theme Coordinator: EdBehrend-Martinez ()
Courses in Theme:
MUS 2015: History of Rock Music
ART 2019: Art for Social Change
THR 2017: Theater for Social Change
HIS 1501: Revolution and Social Change in World History
PHL 3030: Feminist Philosophy
HIS 2340: Modern East Asia
SOC 1100: Social Problems in American Society
IDS 3650: Marx’s Capital
Theme Description: This theme examines the critical role of political, social, and cultural revolutions in bringing change to human society. Emphasis is on the origins and effects of revolution through time to the modern day.
Theme Shared Learning Outcome(s):
Think Critically and Creatively:
a. Students will be able to question our world using evidence, knowledge, and interdisciplinary perspectives;
b. Students will be able to analyze materials creatively and with an open mind.
Form(s) of Integration for Theme:
Instructors will address the following concepts in their courses:
1. Revolution. For example, possible questions might include: What is social, artistic, intellectual, or technological “revolution”? What causes revolution and how does “revolution” change our world? How do different activities and disciplines cause and/or reflect revolutions, and interpret revolution?
2. Social Change. For example, possible questions might include: How do societies change? How do art, music, and culture interpret and/or cause change in society?
Sustainability and Global Resources
Theme Coordinator: Jim Houser ()
Courses in Theme:
TEC 2029: Society and Technology
SD 2400: Principles of Sustainable Development
FCS 2110: Global Awareness: Examining the Global Condition
PHL 2015: Environmental Ethics
GHY 1010: Introduction to Physical Geography
IDS 3010: H2O We Are Water
FER 1000: Principles of Fermentation Sciences
PHY 1830: Physical Principles of Energy and Sustainability
Theme Description: Sustainability is the goal of meeting current and future human needs without undermining human communities, cultures, or natural environments. Addressing this goal requires recognition of the complex interrelationships among environmental, economic, and social forces and re-examination of our relationships to technology, natural resources, natural science, human development, and/or local to global politics. Courses within this multidisciplinary theme address topics such as climate change, environmental pollution, economic globalization, resource inequality, agriculture and sustainable food production, environmental ethics and history, and social justice.
Theme Shared Learning Outcome(s):
The courses within this integrative theme to some extent share a focus on all four of the General Education Program themes, with particular emphasis placed on “Making Local to Global Connections” and “Understanding the Responsibilities of Community Membership.” Although each course in the theme will approach the concept of sustainability from a different perspective, all share the goal of helping students develop the intellectual habits of mind of seeking out diverse perspectives on societal issues or problems and of integrating a variety of forms of information into their decision-making processes.
Evidence of how these broader program goals are being met will be examined in each class through assignments designed to assess student attainment of the following explicit learning outcomes:
1. Students will describe, through specific examples drawn from class discussions, issues of sustainability in relation to community development, interactions between humans and the rest of the natural world, or/or global change.
2. Students will apply ethical concepts or perspectives to examination of ethical questions related to sustainability, using supporting evidence.
Form(s) of Integration for Theme:
A variety of suggested integration strategies have been planned from which instructors can choose the strategy of strategies that best fit their class, including meetings and consultations among participating theme faculty and instructors throughout the semester; 1-2 common activities (e.g., field trips, external assignments, guest lectures, discussion forums, film/viewings, and so on) per semester from which students in each theme course can select to attend as a course requirement (not all students in every course in the theme have to attend the same films, events, etc.; rather faculty can choose from among a list of relevant events each semester); student/faculty gatherings; addressing a common concept from each course’s own perspective; and/or a common writing assignment. More specifically, participating theme faculty and instructors will meet in person and/or communicate via email regarding integration of content/concepts as well as about shared activities outside of class. An important component of the ongoing conversation via email will be about the many activities taking place on campus that focus on sustainability, and that student participants in theme courses can take part in. These include service/volunteer projects such as Recycle at the Rock, community meetings, and on-campus speakers and other events.
Common Content/Concepts: Faculty proposing courses for this theme were drawn by some shared concepts that will be addressed in various ways in our respective courses. These include:
a. Sustainability involves meeting basic human needs without undermining human communities, culture, or natural environments;
b. Achieving sustainability requires a recognition and understanding of the complex interrelationships among environmental, economic, technological, and social forces;
c. Efforts to achieve sustainability require both individual and collective commitment; this commitment is influenced by knowledge, communication, and decision-making strategies that take into account broader societal needs.
Although inclusion will be at the discretion of each participating faculty member (very large classes may find this difficult), a common writing assignment is suggested as a culminating session of each class within the theme. This writing assignment will be initiated with an open-ended prompt such as: “Sustainability is a broad and complex concept involving environmental, social, technological, and economic issues. Address, in 1-2 pages, how this course has helped you better understand some of the issues surrounding sustainability and global resources.” Although broad, this assignment will get to the heart of each student’s growing understanding of both the concept of sustainability, as well as about their understanding of more specific issues that underlie this complex goal. The assignment can be included in the student’s e-portfolio.
Appalachian Mountains: Community, Culture, and Land
Theme Coordinator: Katherine Ledford ()
Courses in Theme:
AS 2200: Appalachian Stories
AS/GLY 2301: The History of Coal from the Pennsylvanian to the Present
SOC 3710: Sociology of Appalachian Communities
HIS 3726: History of the Appalachian Region
AS/MUS 2016: Appalachian Music
Theme Description: This theme examines the social structures, community life, cultural productions, and natural environment of the Appalachian Mountain region. Students investigate the boundaries of the region, including political, economic, cultural, linguistic, geographic, and geological ones through courses that position the region historically and contemporarily in national and international contexts. A central concern among the courses is Appalachian energy resources, especially coal, its history, global significance, current position in national energy debates, and extraction methods including mountaintop removal coal mining.
Theme Shared Learning Outcome(s):
Students who select this theme will make local to global connections through an understanding of issues in the communities of Boone, Watauga County, and surrounding mountain counties; Western North Carolina’s position within a larger southern mountain region; and the Appalachian region’s place within the United States and the world. All courses in the theme will consider the region’s relationship to and production of energy resources, particularly coal, for an understanding of the ways local issues connect with global processes, trends, and systems.
Form(s) of Theme Integration:
This theme will use common attendance at co-curricular events as the primary form of integration. Artists, activists, scholars and community leaders from the Appalachian region will visit campus, supported by the Center for Appalachian Studies and the departments teaching theme courses, and students will be required to attend at least two events each semester. Regularly scheduled options include at least two Appalachian writers who visit campus each year as part of the university’s visiting writers series. The Appalachian Heritage Council student group organizes an Appalachian fiddlers’ convention each spring semester, offering students a chance to engage with Appalachian musical artists.
Las Américas
Theme Coordinator: Timothy J. Smith ()
Courses in Theme:
ANT 2300: Mesoamerican Cultures
GHY 3014: Geography of Latin America
REL 2XXX: Liberation Theologies: Church and State in Latin America
HIS 2301: History of Colonial Latin America
HIS 2302: History of Modern Latin America
LLC 2040: Border Crossings: U.S. Hispanic Literature
WRC 2300: Masterpieces of Latin America
IDS 3020: Cuba Libre
Theme Description:
This theme explores the diverse people, cultural legacies, and evolving realities in Latin America. Coursework explores the dynamic relationships, structures, values, and cultural manifestations through multiple disciplines.
Theme Share Learning Outcome(s):
Students in this theme will:
Analyze or evaluate examples of various relationships between local regions and people and larger global issues, processes, trends, and/or systems.
--Students synthesize a sophisticated understanding of influences upon and the influences of Latin America through coursework and theme participation.
--Assessed by: Discussion, performance during written exams, research projects, in-class presentations, or written papers.
Analyze or evaluate other cultures, their worldviews, and their frames of reference.
--Students foster the ability to adopt and consider multiple perspectives pertaining to Latin America.
--Assessed by: Attendance of at least one co-curricular or extra-curricular event; performance during written exams, research projects, or written response papers.
Generate questions based on previous information; allow for alternate and/or multiple possibilities.
--Explore the question, “What united Latin America?” and the complexities of defining Las Américas (The Americas). This builds upon the prior learning outcome of considering multiple perspectives.
--Assessed by: Attendance of at least one co-curricular or extra-curricular event; performance during questions posted to AsULearn forums, written exams, research projects, in-class presentations, and/or written papers; submitting discussion or research questions for at least one assignment.
Form(s) of Theme Integration:
Common Questions: “What united Latin America?” and “What makes defining Latin America so difficult?” These questions will be explored in Las Américas ILE coursework. As opposed to identifying differences, attaching labels, or compartmentalizing, student immerse themselves in topics and concepts while probing for relationships and local to global connections.
Shared Co-Curricular Events—Guest Lectures, Visiting Artists, Panel Discussions, and other academic opportunities sponsored by individual instructors will be advertised to all faculty and students participating in the Las Américas ILE. An example includes the annual spring Hispanic/Latino Symposium. Professors may utilize attendance sign-ins, AsULearn forum posts, and/or response papers for in-class reflection and intellectual synthesis.
Extra-Curricular Events—All faculty and students participating in the Las Américas ILE are encouraged to participate in pertinent extra-curricular events including, but not limited to: visual art exhibitions, performing arts series, the Hispanic Student Association (HAS), the Hispanic Heritage Festival (coinciding with National Hispanic Heritage Month—Sept. 15-Oct. 15), the Diversity Celebration, etc. Professors may utilize attendance sign-ins, AsULearn forum posts, and/or response papers for in-class reflection and intellectual synthesis.
Critical Consciousness: Learning for Equity and Justice
Theme Coordinators: Brandy Wilson () and Greg McClure ()
Courses in Theme:
FDN XXXX: Unlearning Racism: Racial Literacy for Responsible Citizenship
FDN XXXX: Discourses in Democracy: The Effects of Policy on Lived Experience
FDN XXXX: Why Read: The Literature of Love, Learning, and Emancipation
CI XXXX: Education as the Practice of Freedom
CI XXXX: YouthSmarts: Pop Culture, Media, and Civic Action
Theme Description:
Critical consciousness involves understanding social, political, cultural and economic injustice in the world and becoming active in challenging those injustices. The broad goal of this theme is for students from any major to appreciate a wide range of intellectual, political, moral, and cultural diversity issues and to become better equipped to offer just and sustainable solutions to inequities. We believe that ASU students want to be challenged to think critically about their world and to make a positive difference in their local and global communities. Though this theme is housed in the Reich College of Education, this theme is not designed for education majors and is not part of a teacher preparation program. Rather, it is designed to critically examine how learning and socialization are major drivers in both the reproduction of inequality, as well as in the empowerment of marginalized groups. Since schools are one of society’s most pervasive and influential social and cultural institutions, some of the courses in thetheme will use the institution of schooling and education in general as a lens through which to examine larger socio cultural, historical and philosophical questions about social justice. Schooling and other forms of education will provide theoccasions for critical analysis; the focus will have nothing to do with the preparation of the technical skills to become an educator. Education faculty have much to offer to the dialogue surrounding economic, political, and social questions of equity and participation in democratic communities. The faculty collaborating on and teaching within this theme do highly interdisciplinary and critical work beyond the scope of teacher practice. As such, this theme examines the sociopolitical nature of learning; that is, how the building and understanding of new knowledge is influenced by power and privilege and cultural contexts based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ability. By discussing topics such as diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice, students will examine how these issues intersect with our individual lives as well as in social systems at local, state, national, and global levels. Faculty will encourage students to critically analyze theoretical frameworks, philosophical ideas, and quantitative and qualitative data that highlight how inequality is experienced in the daily lives of ordinary people. Further, through attendance at co-curricular events, the theme will engage students in developing thoughtful questions and creative solutions to local and/or regional problems.
Theme Shared Learning Outcome(s):
This theme emphasizes the General Education Program Goal I- Thinking Critically and Creatively. Particularly related to the theme’s goal of understanding and addressing issues of power and injustice through an interdisciplinary approach, courses in this theme encourage learners to become and remain critically “conscious of how their own positions as well as the history of ideas influence their thought” and to “adjust their thinking as they interpret, evaluate, and reflect based on increasingly sophisticated intellectual values.” Simultaneously, this theme stresses the importance of Goal IV- Understanding Responsibilities of Community Membership, particularly as this goal focuses on preparing students to develop as “academically skilled and engaged citizens capable of contributing to the betterment of society and taking responsibility for the common good” by enabling “students to reflect critically on ethical issues and to make reasoned, intelligent judgments about complex moral problems.” We see these two goals as intimately connected to this theme, where praxis, or reflective action, is just as important as critical analysis and understanding.